Products and services are a dime a dozen these days. For every new idea, invention or service there are five like it in existence, and several hundred others in the works to follow it. Just look at the
Marketing and advertising folks over the years have had to deal with the average consumer becoming savvier and being more informed. Consumers have come a long way since the days of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce; a time when marketers and advertisers shoved product and service propaganda in the faces of dollar spending individuals.
A few of us out here in marketing land understand that we are in the beginnings of a hyperlinked society. This is changing the ways our brains think; in particular this is changing the way we make decisions.
I had this epiphany while I was exploring this link that a friend just so happened to send me.
Upon clicking I was prompted with visuals of car parts and asked to identify them. I had no idea what I was getting into but I kept clicking through because I knew the answers would eventually present itself. Identifying car parts is not something that I would normally take time out of my day to do but it just so happens that I am purchasing a new car this week so I kept playing along.
After failing at the first several prompts I was then asked to place in order the steps to changing oil to changing a flat tire. Which, I don’t know off the top of my head but looking at my options can easily be figured out by paying attention to the basics of the English language. I felt a sense of pride and generally bad ass-ness that I got both those correct on the first try. Who needs Triple A now? Not I.
After I was completed and awarded my score in car knowledge I got curious. Who would make this? What is the point?
Ah, yes, a car insurance company. Well, this is convenient. I need to grab estimates from several companies this week as it is, might as well start by giving BudgetDirect a call?
So, this had me thinking. What other interactives could I find out there?
I did some searching, and some of the stuff I found out there was amazing. Take this for example: here’s another interactive quiz from a home security company, SimpliSafe.
With all the hacking and data breaches in the headlines, this quiz comes in really handy. It’s simple really. A security question is asked, and based on your answer, it askes how vulnerable you are to a digital threat. I had fun with that one.
I drink lots of coffee so it’s natural that something with that as a subject matter would catch my eye.
This interactive from BizBrain isn’t a quiz, but a journey on where coffee comes from. The adventure starts at planting the seeds, harvesting, milling, exporting, roasting, and finally, in your cup. The whole time you’re on your trip from the fields to the store, they jam-pack facts along the way.
I’m a huge history buff, so when I found this next masterpiece, my jaw dropped!
This brilliant concept is brought to you by RightMove. They essentially walk you through the streets of Britain while fading in images from World War 1. It’s really intense to see the radical transformation that war brings out., only to see everything put back in it’s place.
Are you beginning to see a pattern? As you can see, all the interactives I mentioned here were all produced and published by a brand. These were not produced by the New York Times or the Guardian, they were made by the local moving and security company.
The point I’m trying to make here is that interactives are here to stay, and they’re not going anywhere. Sure, you can still utilize infographics, but interactives are the new “it” thing. Want to attract a new audience? Well, Interactives might be your best bet.
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